Hold On
by Fangren
Summary: It's almost time for another Pie sisters outing! But first, Pinkie has to share her excitement with Limestone and Marble over a nice breakfast. [SYNCHRONY oneshot 5/9]


**Author's Note**

This is the fifth in my series of Equestria Girls oneshots released alongside my other series 'Oathmaker', following after 'Spare Me', 'Yes I Can', 'Nothing if Not', and 'Consider it Done'. It's mostly just a fun little bit with three of the Pie sisters, but I think it's pretty enjoyable. I hope you all feel the same way.

\- Fangren

* * *

 **Hold On**

"Pinkie! Wake up!"

The harsh demand was followed almost immediately by the sheets being ripped from Pinkie's bed, pulling her along with them. She hung in the air for a moment, spinning comically despite – or perhaps because of – her persistent slumber, and then landed on the floor on her back with a rather loud thud.

"H...huh?" she murmured, finally opening her eyes to see the bluish-gray form of her eldest sister glaring down at her. "Oh! Limey!" she said, instantly perking up and jumping to her feet. "You're here! I wasn't expecting you until tomorrow!"

"Yeah, well, Mom and Dad said they were 'worried for my health and the bonds of my soul'," Limestone ranted, making judicious use of air quotes, "and that I 'needn't spend every moment of my life at the quarry'." She crossed her arms and grunted, blowing the sideswept portion of her gray undercut away from her face. She was already dressed in a white t-shirt, heavy denim overalls, and dangerous-looking boots. "It's like...running the quarry is my _life_. Aside from seeing my family now and then I don't _need_ to spend time anywhere else. But no, they practically _forced_ me to take an extra day off. I was _already_ gonna take off tomorrow!" She raised her arms in frustration, to lost in herself to notice Pinkie watching her...or Pinkie getting dressed. "Heck, Maud isn't even _here_ yet, and besides I still have _loads_ of stuff to do at the quarry! But they just don't understand, it's all so..." She clenched her fists and teeth and let out an angry growl.

Then she turned around and saw Pinkie halfway into putting on her jeans. Pinkie stared back at her. "Right," Limestone said, her frustration draining away into a sort of background gruffness. "Anyway. Marble made pancakes."

Pinkie gasped in excitement, her eyes wide. "She _did_?! That's _awesome_ , her pancakes are the _best_!" She quickly finished putting on her pants, then darted out her bedroom door.

Moments later she leaned back in and gave her eldest sister a serious look. "By the way? Mom and Dad _kiiiinda_ have a point. You spend too much time in the quarry and you'll get _sick_ cause of _rock dust_ in your lungs," she mimed choking on something, "just like great-Uncle Sedimentary Striation Pie!"

"Hey, I take _precautions_ for that!" Limestone shot back, stalking angrily towards her unperturbed sister. "The quarry is _way_ safer than it was back then!"

"Truuuuue," Pinkie conceded with a cock of her head and a mischievous look, "but you don't take precautions against not having many friends! I mean, I'm pretty sure you're not even friends with the other people who _work_ with you!"

"That's because they're my _underlings_ ," Limestone said with a scowl, leaving the bedroom and walking down the hall with her skipping sister. "We're not _supposed_ to be friends!" After making a few hand gestures that were no doubt meant to emphasize that fact, Limestone took one look at her smiling sister and shoved her hands into her pockets with a grumble.

"Sounds like a certain _Grumpy Gus_ I know could use some more fri~ends!" Pinkie said in a singsong voice, leaning into her sister and grinning.

Limestone snorted as they rounded a corner and started heading down the stairs. "Whatever. If I ever actually get lonely maybe I'll actually consider it."

Pinkie giggled. "I know, I know. I'm just teasing you."

Limestone cracked a small smile. "Obviously. So," she asked as they reached the bottom of the stairs and turned towards the kitchen, the smell of pancakes and syrup wafting through the hall and catching Pinkie's attention. "You gonna come out to the quarry again anytime soon? I got a few jobs for you and those, uh, exploding _sprinkles_ of yours."

"Hrmm...I _guess_ so...," Pinkie said with a thoughtful frown. "But I don't want it to turn into like a regular thing. I love the quarry and all, but I don't wanna _work_ there."

Limestone sighed. "Yeah, yeah, I got it. You all have your own dreams, I can run the family business by myself."

Pinkie giggled again, and skipped ahead into the kitchen. She took another whiff of the air, then zipped over to the table just as her only-a-few-minutes-younger sister set down a platter of pancakes. "Goooooood morning, Marble!" she greeted, hugging her thoroughly gray-with-a-hint-of-green sister from behind.

Marble squeaked in shock, bolting upright and dropping the spatula she'd been holding. Pinkie quickly leaned around her and caught it, and grinned at her twin. "...morning...," Marble said in a meek voice barely above a whisper, pushing away the bangs that covered her right eye. They fell back into place the moment she turned her head.

"Are you totally excited cause all four Pie sisters are gonna be reunited for the first time in like for _ever_ when Maud comes back home from her geology trip tomorrow? Cause I'm _totally_ excited!" Pinkie asked excitedly as she prepared a stack of several pancakes, syrups, whipped cream, and fruit, then took her seat.

"...mm-hmm," Marble answered, fixing a much smaller plate of pancakes – each one filled with darker swirls much like their creator's namesake – for herself.

"What are we even gonna be _doing_ together?" Limestone asked as she sat down, pouring herself a glass of limeade.

"Oh, I dunno," Pinkie replied between bites, her mouth already rimmed with whipped cream. "Shopping, hanging out, the usual. Maybe see if any of my friends are around."

"Oh yeah, didn't you say they all have magic powers too?" Limestone asked, looking at her little sister with keen interest. "Maybe they could help out at the quarry too. As long as they do what they're told," she added with a stern look.

"Nah, I'm pretty sure they all have jobs already," Pinkie said before stuffing her mouth with pancakes again. She put a finger to her chin and thought as she chewed, then with her mouth full and her words unintelligible added 'But since they haven't met you, maybe they just don't know how fun quarries are?' Or something to that effect, anyway.

Limestone and Marble seemed to understand her, at least. "Exactly," Limestone said with an oddly dangerous smirk. "You bring them, _I'll_ bring the _hard hats_."

"Sounds fun!" Pinkie more-or-less said before swallowing yet another mouthful of breakfast. "Plus, they'll _finally_ get to meet the other two Pie sisters!" she added, looking excitedly at the two girls sharing the table with her.

Limestone looked up at her, a single brow raised. She looked from Pinkie to Marble, who was quietly drawing a small happy face in syrup on a pancake. "Wait, what?" she asked Pinkie. "Hold on, how the heck have they not met _Marble_ yet? You're in the same year at the same school!"

"Hmm...," Pinkie murmured, twirling a lock of hair in her finger, "good question. Marble, do you _always_ sit in the back of the classroom?"

"...mm-hmm...," Marble answered with a bashful look.

"And do you never raise your hand or talk to anyone unless they talk to you first?" Pinkie added.

"...mm-hmm...," Marble squeaked, retreating behind her own bangs.

"Then that explains _everything_!" Pinkie brightly declared. " _Obviously_ they've just never noticed you for some reason!" she said, grabbing her younger twin's shoulder. Marble brushed her bangs out of her face, smiling lightly. "Come to think of it, I _probably_ should've introduced you to them a long time ago," Pinkie added, rubbing her chin and narrowing her eyes. "That _probably_ would've stopped Twilight from thinking you don't actually exist. Heck, she even asked me if you were _Bigfoot_ , which is _totally_ ridiculous cause your feet are like _totally_ normal-sized!"

Marble put a hand up to her mouth and giggled softly. "...mm-hmm..."

Limestone snorted with contempt, then cracked her knuckles, leaned back, and smirked. "Well then, I guess we'll just have to _introduce_ ourselves tomorrow when we're out with you and Maud. Make that friend of yours learn real good how _real_ we really are."

"Mm!" Marble smiled and nodded. Then she paused a moment, froze up, and let out a single short squeak.

Pinkie and Limestone's faces fell. "Hey, don't worry!" Pinkie told her twin, giving the frozen Marble a gentle rub on the back. "The girls are all _super_ nice, _totally_ not scary like _at all_."

"Plus, who knows if we'll even run into them anyway?" Limestone added. "You know where they're gonna be?" she asked Pinkie.

"Hmm...well, let's see, tomorrow's _Saturday_..." Pinkie thought aloud. "Though I guess since it's summer vacation that doesn't really matter. Still...Fluttershy's gonna be at the animal shelter again I think. Sunset and Twilight said they had some kinda research project, so they're probably gonna be working on that...Rainbow Dash has been like _totally obsessed_ all _week_ with finding out that new superhero's secrets, so I can't imagine she'll do _anything_ else...but I don't really know what AJ and Rarity are gonna be up to, so who knows?" She finished with a helpless shrug, and Marble whimpered again and looked down at her plate.

"Hey," Limestone said to Marble, putting a hand on her shoulder and catching her eye. "You don't have to come with us tomorrow if you don't want. We don't wanna make you uncomfortable, and you don't have to prove any _thing_ to any _one_."

Marble just kept looking down, her sisters watching her expectantly. After several seconds of silence, though...Marble clenched her hands and nodded. "...no...," she said, surprising her sisters. "...I'll come..."

Pinkie and Limestone shared a stunned look, the former's of which rapidly turned into a grin. "Eeeeee!" she squealed, drawing both sisters into a hug. "Tomorrow's gonna be so much _fun_!"


End file.
